Novak Djokovic pointed to his head and then cupped his ear. He was back, a champion in Australia once again, and after the harrowing experience of being deported from the country 12 months ago this was surer, more familiar ground to be standing on. Djokovic has admitted the events of last January will stay with him for the rest of his life; from being interrogated at border control, his detention in an immigration facility, to the cancelation of his visa amid a political storm that grew beyond tennis, Djokovic was at the centre of the biggest news story in the world.
He was, in his words, the “villain of the world” after his unvaccinated arrival in Melbourne, a city still emerging from some of Australia’s longest and strictest Covid lockdowns. Djokovic had received a medical exemption in order to play the opening grand slam of the season but did not anticipate the strength and anger of the public backlash that decision received. The Serbian did not face the crowds in person last January but instead lost in the court of public opinion and was deported before he had played a match.
